Tuesday, March 13, 2007
Configurable Processor Claims Top Computing Power
ELECTRONICSTALK
The Independent Weekly Product Information Guide
for Electronics Design, Development and Manufacturing Engineers
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Issue 309: 13 March 2007
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In this issue:
* Editor's Message
* Our Top new products selection
[1] Convertor takes temperature onboard
[2] Industrial-spec modules have ISM band covered
[3] Spice simulation and circuit analysis upgraded
[4] 2.4GHz antenna is the size of a grain of rice
[5] Open and shut case for control visibility
[6] Waterproof connectors are tested to 10m depth
[7] Current clamps extend power measurement
[8] Configurable processor claims top computing power
[9] Microwave components are shielded onboard
[10] Spread-spectrum PLLs reduce EMI
* Other industry news
* New technical articles and case studies
* Other featured product news
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Laurence Marchini, Editor, writes:
In days gone by, facial hair said something about a man. It said "I've
got far too much on my mind to worry about the tedious act of shaving
each morning". And, indeed, many of history's great thinkers and
inventors have sported face fungus of one form or other - from
Einstein's moustache to Sir Clive Sinclair's trim beard, the list is
almost endless.
Soon, however, that list will become just a little bit shorter as I
have been cajoled into baring my face to the world for the first time
in 30 years, and it seems only fair to mark the event by raising some
funds for a good cause.
This week sees the annual World's Greatest Shave, which aims to raise
as much money as possible to help the Leukaemia Foundation to continue
to support patients and families living with leukaemias, lymphomas,
myeloma and related blood disorders. And on Friday 17th March I shall
be doing my bit to help.
The results of the shave will be displayed for all to see on the
Electronicstalk homepage next week, but in the meantime, anyone with a
little spare cash can make a secure donation online via
http://www.worldsgreatestshave.com:80/profile.php?id=317469 - which is
my profile page on the World's Greatest Shave website.
Please give generously.
I hope you find this issue of our weekly newsletter useful. In
addition to the new products, news and ideas featured here, there are
thousands more on our website and dozens more are added daily, so do
take a look if you can.
Alternatively, the full stories behind all the summaries and headlines
in this newsletter can be retrieved by e-mail alone: see details
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In the meantime, if you have any suggestions as to how we might make
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Best wishes
Laurence Marchini, Editor
mailto:news@electronicstalk.com
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OUR TOP NEW PRODUCT SELECTION
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[1] CONVERTOR TAKES TEMPERATURE ONBOARD
(Linear Technology Corp, 12 Mar 2007)
Linear Technology has introduced the LTC2492, a four-channel
delta-sigma analogue-to-digital convertor (ADC) that integrates a
temperature sensor and a novel front-end design in a tiny 4 x 3mm DFN
package. The LTC2492's Easy Drive design results in zero average
differential input current, allowing measurements of high impedance
input sources without the need for an internal buffer. This patented
sampling scheme simplifies the design of front-end signal conditioning
circuits and allows the ADC to be driven directly from bridges, RTDs,
thermocouples and high impedance sensors.
> Request free details from the supplier:
http://www.electronicstalk.com/rdx/ml/lne/332/4
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/lne/lne332.html
or send a blank email to mailto:lne332@fetch.electronicstalk.com
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[2] INDUSTRIAL-SPEC MODULES HAVE ISM BAND COVERED
(Low Power Radio Solutions, 13 Mar 2007)
Available now in the UK from Low Power Radio Solutions, Circuit Design
has developed an RoHS compliant embedded industrial radio transmitter
and receiver for industrial applications where high performance and
reliability are required. The CDP-TX-02EF-R and CDP-RX-02F-R radio
modules use narrowband FSK, and cover almost the entire field of the
European ISM band from 433.1875 to 434.7750MHz in 128 channels,
programmed in 12.5kHz steps.
> Request free details from the supplier:
http://www.electronicstalk.com/rdx/ml/low/136/4
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/low/low136.html
or send a blank email to mailto:low136@fetch.electronicstalk.com
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[3] SPICE SIMULATION AND CIRCUIT ANALYSIS UPGRADED
(National Instruments, 08 Mar 2007)
National Instruments Electronics Workbench Group has announced the
release of Multisim 10.0 and Ultiboard 10.0, the latest versions of
its interactive Spice simulation and circuit analysis software used
for schematic capture, interactive simulation, board layout and
integrated testing. This platform extends the flexibility of virtual
instrumentation to the electronics designer's benchtop, bridging the
common gap between test and design functions. With the combination of
National Instruments Multisim 10.0 circuit simulation software and
LabView measurement software, engineers creating custom printed
circuit boards (PCBs) can now easily compare simulated and real-world
data, resulting in fewer design iterations, reduced prototyping errors
and shorter time to market.
> Request free details from the supplier:
http://www.electronicstalk.com/rdx/ml/naa/318/4
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/naa/naa318.html
or send a blank email to mailto:naa318@fetch.electronicstalk.com
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[4] 2.4GHZ ANTENNA IS THE SIZE OF A GRAIN OF RICE
(Fractus, 07 Mar 2007)
Fractus is claiming a new standard for antenna miniaturisation with
the launch of its smallest antenna for the ISM 2.4GHz band. The 3.7 x
2mm Micro Reach Xtend antenna is the size of a single grain of rice,
providing device designers with significantly more available space to
enable new multimedia applications or reducing the space needed within
devices. The miniature antenna was designed using Fractus' patented
fractal antenna technologies and developed especially for Bluetooth
headsets and mobile handsets. It supports all standards working at
the 2.4GHz ISM band, including Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and Zigbee.
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/fac/fac116.html
or send a blank email to mailto:fac116@fetch.electronicstalk.com
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[5] OPEN AND SHUT CASE FOR CONTROL VISIBILITY
(OKW Enclosures, 09 Mar 2007)
OKW has extended its Diatec enclosure range with two new models with
hinged transparent lids. The new models are particularly suitable for
wall or machine mounted applications where the controls and displays
need to be clearly seen, but also protected from accidental operation
or contamination, for example with machine controllers, door entry
systems, time loggers, detection systems, communications devices, and
wellness and medical equipment. Diatec cases have a modern contoured
design with a central control panel for mounting a membrane keypad,
display module or pushbutton switches.
> Request free details from the supplier:
http://www.electronicstalk.com/rdx/ml/okw/170/4
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/okw/okw170.html
or send a blank email to mailto:okw170@fetch.electronicstalk.com
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[6] WATERPROOF CONNECTORS ARE TESTED TO 10M DEPTH
(Intelliconnect, 13 Mar 2007)
New from Intelliconnect, the Pisces range of waterproof RF/coaxial
connectors and adapters use a novel internal sealing system originally
developed for military locator beacon and radio applications. The
sealing system can be adapted into virtually all Intelliconnect RF
connectors and adapters, and bespoke designs can be manufactured to
customers' specific requirements at a surprisingly competitive cost.
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/ill/ill103.html
or send a blank email to mailto:ill103@fetch.electronicstalk.com
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[7] CURRENT CLAMPS EXTEND POWER MEASUREMENT
(Fluke (UK), 08 Mar 2007)
Fluke has introduced two new AC current clamps to measure up to 3000A,
the i2000 Flex and i3000s Flex, and two AC/DC current clamps to
measure up to 30A with a 1mA resolution, the i30 and i30s. Compliant
to European Category III safety standards, there is a choice of models
to enable extension of the functionality of a user's digital
multimeter, power meter, oscilloscope or data logger. The new Fluke
i2000 Flex and i3000s Flex AC current clamps measure up to 2000A and
3000A with bandwidths up to 20 or 50kHz, respectively, on maximum
voltages of 600V RMS.
> Request free details from the supplier:
http://www.electronicstalk.com/rdx/ml/flu/184/4
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/flu/flu184.html
or send a blank email to mailto:flu184@fetch.electronicstalk.com
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[8] CONFIGURABLE PROCESSOR CLAIMS TOP COMPUTING POWER
(Stretch, 12 Mar 2007)
Stretch has announced its S6 software configurable processor (SCP)
architecture. Optimised specifically for high-performance video and
wireless signal processing, the S6 Architecture offers unmatched
price/performance in these demanding applications. At the heart of
the new architecture are three technology innovations: the
second-generation Instruction Set Extension Fabric (ISEF), the
processor array and the programmable accelerator. The combination of
these advancements provides unprecedented single-chip computing power
and the ability to easily scale to multichip implementations for the
most computing-intensive applications.
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/stj/stj100.html
or send a blank email to mailto:stj100@fetch.electronicstalk.com
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[9] MICROWAVE COMPONENTS ARE SHIELDED ONBOARD
(Laird Technologies, 13 Mar 2007)
Laird Technologies has developed a microwave board level shield
product for high frequency applications over 6GHz. This new product
is a result of Laird Technologies' convergence technology, which
combines two or more unrelated technologies into one unique solution.
The microwave board level shield is a combination of a microwave
absorber with board level shielding and will absorb or suppress high
frequency interference, enabling the board to be more effective at
high frequencies. The product was developed to address the growing
cost of redesign.
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/lir/lir132.html
or send a blank email to mailto:lir132@fetch.electronicstalk.com
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[10] SPREAD-SPECTRUM PLLS REDUCE EMI
(Cypress Semiconductor, 13 Mar 2007)
Cypress Semiconductor Corp has introduced the latest member of its
PREMIS (Peak Reducing EMI Solutions) family of spread-spectrum timing
solutions. The new CY25400 is the industry's first quad-PLL
(phase-locked loop) timing device with two spread-spectrum PLLs to
reduce electromagnetic emissions (EMI). The new device saves cost by
eliminating shielding, ferrite beads and chokes often used to address
EMI issues. The flexible device also offers two-wire I2C programming
that allows manufacturers to dynamically adjust EMI reduction
variables for real-time determination of optimum system configuration.
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/cyp/cyp336.html
or send a blank email to mailto:cyp336@fetch.electronicstalk.com
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This week's industry news
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FAIRCHILD PREPARES FOR REDUCED REVENUES
(Fairchild Semiconductor, 09 Mar 2007)
Fairchild Semiconductor has reiterated its previous guidance for first
quarter 2007 revenue to be down 3 to 6%.
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/fai/fai420.html
or send a blank email to mailto:fai420@fetch.electronicstalk.com
GROWTH SPURRED BY CONTRACTS WITH LARGE COMPANIES
(PrismTech, 09 Mar 2007)
Software specialist saw significant growth in third quarter
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/pcc/pcc117.html
or send a blank email to mailto:pcc117@fetch.electronicstalk.com
GRAPHICS LIBRARY FOR MOBILE DEVICES IS RATIFIED
(The Khronos Group, 07 Mar 2007)
The finalised OpenGL ES 2.0 specification for programmable 3D graphics
has been unanimously ratified and publicly released.
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/khr/khr105.html
or send a blank email to mailto:khr105@fetch.electronicstalk.com
INVESTMENT ENABLES EXPANSION TO US DESIGN CENTRE
(Antenova, 07 Mar 2007)
Antenova has secured US $10 million further funding for growth and
expansion and has also opened a new US R and D and support centre in
Chicago, Illinois.
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/aen/aen123.html
or send a blank email to mailto:aen123@fetch.electronicstalk.com
ASML COMPLETES BRION TECHNOLOGIES ACQUISITION
(ASML, 09 Mar 2007)
Brion's products and technology will complement and reinforce ASML's
core lithography business.
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/asd/asd117.html
or send a blank email to mailto:asd117@fetch.electronicstalk.com
GAAS CONTINUES TO MEET CELLULAR CHALLENGES
(Strategy Analytics, 09 Mar 2007)
GaAs technologies will continue to dominate the radio front-end in
cellular handsets, despite competition from silicon technologies.
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/sgy/sgy211.html
or send a blank email to mailto:sgy211@fetch.electronicstalk.com
THE FUTURE OF EUROPEAN ELECTRONICS INTERCONNECTION
(Elfnet, 13 Mar 2007)
Document describes how key factors such as lead-free soldering,
sustainability and miniaturisation are impacting on interconnection
supply chain, materials and processes.
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/elf/elf106.html
or send a blank email to mailto:elf106@fetch.electronicstalk.com
MOBILE COMMS CONTINUES TO DRIVE IC SALES
(Semico Research, 13 Mar 2007)
Continued demand for communications and portable computing devices
with innovative new features will drive purchases this year and help
boost sales of the semiconductors used in these products.
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/shy/shy101.html
or send a blank email to mailto:shy101@fetch.electronicstalk.com
ACQUISITION ADDS LOW-COST LED MANUFACTURING
(Cree, 13 Mar 2007)
Cree has signed a definitive agreement to acquire privately held Cotco
Luminant Device, headquartered in Hong Kong.
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/crv/crv118.html
or send a blank email to mailto:crv118@fetch.electronicstalk.com
SOLAR INITIATIVE TO FUND R AND D
(SunPower Corp, 12 Mar 2007)
SunPower Corp and its subsidiary PowerLight Corp have been selected
for an award under the US Department of Energy's Solar America
Initiative.
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/snp/snp102.html
or send a blank email to mailto:snp102@fetch.electronicstalk.com
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New Technical Articles and Case Studies
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THE FUTURE OF THE MCU MARKET
(Luminary Micro, 13 Mar 2007)
Jean Anne Booth, Chief Marketing Officer of Luminary Micro, discusses
the fragmentation and impending consolidation of the MCU market.
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/lua/lua105.html
or send a blank email to mailto:lua105@fetch.electronicstalk.com
CORES ENABLE SOFTWARE CONFIGURABLE PROCESSORS
(Tensilica, 12 Mar 2007)
Stretch of Sunnyvale, California, USA, has licensed Tensilica's Xtensa
LX processor and HiFi 2 Audio Engine for use in its next-generation
software configurable processor.
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/tey/tey160.html
or send a blank email to mailto:tey160@fetch.electronicstalk.com
> Request free details from the supplier on Xtensa LX processor and
HiFi 2:
http://www.electronicstalk.com/rdx/ml/tey/160/4
CONNECTORS ON THE GRID FOR FORMULA ONE
(Lemo UK, 09 Mar 2007)
Connectors feature on the new ECU being provided by Microsoft and
McLaren Electronic Systems for the FIA Formula One World Championship.
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/lem/lem124.html
or send a blank email to mailto:lem124@fetch.electronicstalk.com
> Request free details from the supplier on F Series:
http://www.electronicstalk.com/rdx/ml/lem/124/4
MILITARY ANTENNA SIMULATION SPEEDS DEVELOPMENT
(Flomerics, 07 Mar 2007)
Performance of high-frequency collinear dipole array antenna is
optimised using electromagnetic simulation to evaluate a wide range of
potential designs.
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/flo/flo191.html
or send a blank email to mailto:flo191@fetch.electronicstalk.com
> Request free details from the supplier on MicroStripes:
http://www.electronicstalk.com/rdx/ml/flo/191/4
MINIATURE HD VIDEO CAMERAS IN DAYTONA RACE
(W and W Communications, 13 Mar 2007)
H.264 encoder decoder chipset enables HD quality video to be
transmitted from drivers' helmets in this year's Daytona race
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/wan/wan101.html
or send a blank email to mailto:wan101@fetch.electronicstalk.com
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Other featured new product news
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LINBUS TRANSCEIVER KEEPS AUTOMOTIVE SIGNALS CLEAN
(Atmel Corporation, 08 Mar 2007)
Stand-alone LINbus transceiver IC claims new benchmark in EMI
performance for reduced RF interference.
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/atl/atl139.html
or send a blank email to mailto:atl139@fetch.electronicstalk.com
HIGH-EFFICIENCY DRIVER PRODUCES UNIFORM WHITE
(Maxim Integrated Products, 13 Mar 2007)
White LED backlight driver has built-in string-current-control circuit
to deliver +/-1.5% regulation accuracy between strings, which ensures
even brightness for all LEDs.
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/max/max292.html
or send a blank email to mailto:max292@fetch.electronicstalk.com
METAL CORE PCBS KEEP POWERFUL LEDS COOL
(The Bergquist Company, 08 Mar 2007)
Dielectric material answers extreme thermal challenges of applications
using high brightness LEDs.
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/brg/brg119.html
or send a blank email to mailto:brg119@fetch.electronicstalk.com
LOW-PROFILE RJ45 SOCKETS GO FLAT ONBOARD
(Molex UK, 12 Mar 2007)
RJ45 connectors are suitable for front-of-board mounting, and can be
conveniently fitted after all soldering operations on the board are
complete.
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/mol/mol227.html
or send a blank email to mailto:mol227@fetch.electronicstalk.com
HIGH DENSITY RACKS COOLED BY LIQUID
(Rittal, 07 Mar 2007)
Liquid cooling package solves problems of high power dissipation of up
to 30kW as standard per rack.
> Request free details from the supplier on LCP liquid cooling
package:
http://www.electronicstalk.com/rdx/ml/rit/213/4
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/rit/rit213.html
or send a blank email to mailto:rit213@fetch.electronicstalk.com
XENON LAMPS ARE COOL ALTERNATIVE
(Rapid Electronics, 12 Mar 2007)
Xenon-filled wedge-based lamps are designed for use in a variety of
automotive, gaming machinery, aviation, signalling and architectural
applications.
> Request free details from the supplier on CML-IT xenon lamps:
http://www.electronicstalk.com/rdx/ml/rpi/127/4
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/rpi/rpi127.html
or send a blank email to mailto:rpi127@fetch.electronicstalk.com
LEDS FOR OUTDOOR SIGNS AND SIGNALS
(Avago Technologies, 08 Mar 2007)
A series of low-power high-performance extra-bright round through-hole
light emitting diodes are for portable and solar-powered outdoor
electronic signs and signal applications.
> Request free details from the supplier on HLMP-Exxx series of 5mm
AllnGaP LEDs:
http://www.electronicstalk.com/rdx/ml/agi/405/4
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/agi/agi405.html
or send a blank email to mailto:agi405@fetch.electronicstalk.com
WAVEFORM GENERATOR FOR DIGITAL RF TESTS
(Tektronix, 07 Mar 2007)
Arbitrary waverform generator is useful for testing digital RF
technologies including software-defined radios and radars, WiMAX,
WiFi, MIMO, and UWB.
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/tek/tek268.html
or send a blank email to mailto:tek268@fetch.electronicstalk.com
DRAG AND DROP TOOL FOR BUILDING TEST APPLICATIONS
(Data Translation, 13 Mar 2007)
A graphical environment allows complex test and measurement
applications to be developed using drag-and-drop tools that do not
require a knowledge of programming to use.
> Request free details from the supplier on Measure Foundry 5.0:
http://www.electronicstalk.com/rdx/ml/dat/128/4
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/dat/dat128.html
or send a blank email to mailto:dat128@fetch.electronicstalk.com
SWITCHES OPERATE AT 26.5GHZ FOR 2 MILLION CYCLES
(Agilent Technologies Europe, 08 Mar 2007)
Electromechanical switches for use in complex switch-matrix and ATE
applications work up to 26.5GHz with an operating life of 2 million
cycles.
> Request free details from the supplier on Agilent's L Series of
electromechanical switches:
http://www.electronicstalk.com/rdx/ml/agn/171/4
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/agn/agn171.html
or send a blank email to mailto:agn171@fetch.electronicstalk.com
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